If it wasn’t already clear by their NHL-record pace, the Boston Bruins confirmed Thursday they are all-in on making a Stanley Cup run.
The Bruins completed a three-team trade with the Washington Capitals and Minnesota Wild, landing forward Garnet Hathaway and defenseman Dmitry Orlov from their Eastern Conference rival. In shipping out veteran forward Craig Smith alongside four draft picks, Boston fortified its roster and confirmed that it was preparing for a deep run into June.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said as much following the trade, and Boston’s stars received the message.
“It’s the tough part of the business, (Smith) is a good friend of mine,” Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk said following Thursday’s wacky win over the Seattle Kraken, per team-provided video. ” … but at the same time, it’s exciting. It will help our team win in different areas. It’s one of those things that kind of sets the tone for the rest of the team. There’s an understanding that this is what we’re going for. It sends a good message to the group.”
In Hathaway and Orlov, the Bruins are hoping to solidify their defense in front of goalies Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, while gaining some physicality on the offensive end.
Hathaway, 31, played 59 games with the Capitals this season, scoring nine goals with 16 assists in 12:06 of average ice time. Orlov, who’s the same age, has scored three goals with 19 points thus far, while also averaging a career-best 22:43 average ice time across 43 games.
The Bruins are on pace to set the NHL record for wins at 63, and unfortunately for the rest of the league, they just got better.
